MESSAGES of support have flooded in from all over the world for Paralympic cyclist Simon Richardson after he was critically injured in a road collision.

The double-gold winning cyclist, who picked up three medals at the Paralympic Games in Beijing, is said to be in a critical but stable condition at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, after being injured in an alleged hit and run on August 17.

Richardson, 44, from Porthcawl, broke his back in two places, fractured his pelvis, broke his breastbone, suffered deep cuts to his legs and suffered a detached lung as result of the accident, which happened while he was cycling on the A48 outside Crack Hill House, Bridgend.

Sadly this was the second time the MBE-honoured cyclist has been injured in a road collision, as it was a car accident in 2001 which left him with serious leg and back injuries that led him to become a Paralympic athlete.

His sponsor Phil Jones said Richardson’s wife Amanda has been overwhelmed by the amount of messages of support the family has received while he has been in hospital, which even included a get well wish posted on social networking site Twitter by comedian Jack Dee.

The stand-up comic is also one of 685 people who have applied to have their names sprayed onto a bike as part of the SimonStrong Appeal, organised by Richardson’s friend Chris Grove.

“The cycling community is rallying behind Simon and Amanda. Everyone is pulling together for them,” said Mr Jones.

“Many people have had a close call on a bike so everyone emphasises with the situation Simon is in and is trying to reach out to him.

“Amanda said Simon won’t belive all the support and fuss that has been going on around him, when he wakes up.”

He said the reason why so many people care is that they are inspired by the way Richardson has triumphed over adversity and become a successful Paralympian.

“He really is a great guy with a huge mental resolve,” said Mr Jones.

“He’s battled back from injury before and was awarded an MBE for his services for disabled sports, so for him to be taken down again in these circumstances is very tragic as his London 2012 dream has now been ended.”